Supreme Court ruled tomatoes as vegetables in 1893, Rutherford B. Hayes had the first phone installed in the White House in 1877, and the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. Other events include Victoria Woodhall becoming the first female presidential nominee, FBI agent Robert Hanssen’s life sentence for selling secrets, J. Edgar Hoover becoming acting director of the FBI, Winston Churchill becoming prime minister in 1940, American colonists capturing Fort Ticonderoga in 1775, Louis XVI becoming king of France in 1774, and the National Gallery in London opening to the public in 1824.
The Supreme Court ruled that a tomato is a vegetable. (1893) The court stated in Nix v. Hedden that although tomatoes were botanical fruits, they should legally be considered vegetables. The case arose because there was a tax on imported vegetables at the time, but not on imported fruit, leading farmers to dispute the definition.
Rutherford B. Hayes had the first telephone installed in the White House. (1877) The telephone number was “1”, and it was more for show than anything else. It wasn’t until 1929 that the president actually had a telephone in the Oval Office, and it wasn’t until the 1990s that the president had a private line — before then, anyone could hear the president by taking an extension in the White House.
The transcontinental railroad has been completed. (1869) The last ceremonial spike was driven into the railroad on this day, creating the first convenient means of cross-country travel in the United States.
Victoria Woodhall became the first female American presidential nominee. (1872) Woodhall was a well-known suffragist, nominated for war by the Equal Rights Party. The government refused to allow her to run as some contemporary politicians considered her to be unofficially a citizen, as she was a woman.
FBI agent Robert Hanssen has been sentenced to life in prison for selling secrets. (2002) Hanssen had worked as a double agent for over 22 years and made nearly $1.5 million US dollars (USD) in cash and diamonds by selling secrets to the USSR.
J. Edgar Hoover became the acting director of the FBI. (1924) Hoover oversaw the FBI for nearly 50 years and used control of him to amass huge files on anyone with suspected anti-American sympathies, including many powerful figures. He had spies all over the government and the country, to such an extent that new laws were put in place regulating the head of FBI powers after his death.
Winston Churchill became prime minister. (1940) Churchill had fallen out of favor for his aggressive foreign policy but quickly became a national icon when Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium and his predictions proved correct. He became prime minister on this day following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain.
American colonists captured Fort Ticonderoga. (1775) While not a major military victory, it was very important in terms of blocking communications between the Northern and Southern parts of the British Army and is considered a turning point in the Revolutionary War.
Louis XVI became king of France. (1774) He and his wife, Marie Antoinette, eventually came to be hated as symbols of the aristocratic repression of the poor, and were finally executed during the French Revolution. He was the only king of France ever to be executed.
The National Gallery in London has been opened to the public. (1824) Although it later became one of the leading galleries in the world, when it opened the National Gallery was labeled a ‘national embarrassment’ as it was so small and shabby.
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